3    Eflfl    Mlb 


U.C.U.  LIBRARY 


IN    MEMORY 


OF 


JAMES  G.  ELAINE 


Memorial 


California   lye^islabure   (Ttjirbiebl)   Sessior>). 


SACRAMENTO,    CALIFORNIA: 
1893. 


•i  r  i\    i  inn 


71525 


Printed  at  the  State  Printing  Office,  Sacramento. 
A.  J.  JOHNSTON,  Superintendent. 


MEMORIAL  SERVICES 


Caliporr)ia  Legislature — lljirbiebl)  Sessior) 


COMMEMORATIVE  OF 


JAMES    G.    ELAINE. 


In  the  Senate  Chamber,  on  Friday,  January  27, 
1893,  Senator  McGowAN  offered  the  following  reso 
lution  : 

WHKREAS,  The  sad  intelligence  has  reached  us  that  death 
has  claimed,  as  its  last  noted  mark,  that  peerless  and  incom 
parable  American,  James  G.  Elaine;  and  whereas,  we  desire  to 
pay  the  tribute  of  our  admiration  and  respect  to  the  worth 
and  ability  of  that  popular  statesman,  whose  public  labors  and 
matchless  eloquence  accomplished  so  much  for  California  in  her 
struggle  for  the  permanency  and  supremacy  of  Caucasian  civili 
zation;  and  whereas,  we  recognize  in  the  loss  of  James  G.  Elaine 
a  statesman  of  broad  views,  practical  statesmanship,  transcend 
ent  ability,  and  strict  integrity;  and  whereas,  we  desire  to  give 
permanent  form  to  the  high  regard  and  esteem  in  which  the 
honored  name  of  James  G.  Elaine  is  justly  held  by  the  grateful 
people  of  California;  therefore,  be  it 

3 


Resolved,  That  the  Senate  do  now  adjourn  out  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  James  G.  Elaine;  that  these  resolutions,  express 
ive  of  our  intense  sorrow  at  this  death,  be  spread  upon  the 
Journal  of  the  Senate,  and  that  a  copy  thereof  be  forwarded  to 
the  family  of  our  deceased  statesman. 

In  moving  the  adoption  of  the  resolution  by  a 
rising  vote,  Senator  McGowAN  spoke  as  follows: 

One  by  one  the  great  statesmen  and  soldiers  whose  patriot 
ism  and  ability  lent  honor  to  the  American  name,  and  saved 
from  destruction  our  popular  Government,  are  passing  away  in 
death.  Death,  ever  loving  a  shining  mark,  continues  in  its  tire 
less  work.  The  heroes  who  manifested  their  devotion  in  the 
trying  hours  of  the  republic  are  following  to  the  other  shore 
Lincoln,  Sumner,  and  Garfield.  And  now  our  own  matchless 
Elaine  is  numbered  with  the  dead.  In  spirit  form  he  holds 
high  communion  with  Sherman,  whose  mortal  remains  sleep  in 
the  land  he  helped  to  make  free;  with  Logan,  whose  conse 
crated  dust  is  hallowed  by  the  affection  of  a  grateful  people; 
and  Grant,  around  whose  name  will  ever  live  a  halo  of  glory. 
Only  a  few  days  ago  another  statesman  of  the  republic  passed 
away.  Looking  at  death's  sad  havoc,  well  may  we  say — 

"One  woe  doth  tread  upon  another's  heels, 
So  fast  they  follow." 

There  is  one  action  in  the  political  life  of  James  G.  Elaine 
that  makes  him  beloved  by  the  people  of  California,  and  for 
which  we,  as  a  people,  have  ever  been  grateful.  At  one  time 
in  the  past  it  was  extremely  dangerous  to  the  political  fortunes 
of  Eastern  statesmen  to  advocate  the  cause  of  California  in  her 
effort  to  maintain  our  civilization  against  the  invasion  of  an 
inferior  race.  Sentimentalists,  ignorant  of  our  condition,  were 
asserting  that  California  was  radical  and  un-American  in  her 
demand  against  Chinese  immigration.  At  every  risk  political 


to  himself,  disregarding  all  adverse  writers,  James  G.  Elaine,  in 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  became  the  advocate  of  free 
white  labor  and  the  champion  of  California.  He  then  struck 
the  keynote  of  the  whole  situation  by  telling  the  world  that  it 
was  the  struggle  of  the  American  cottage  against  the  Chinese 
hovel.  He  stood  like  a  giant,  like  an  American  knight,  as 
he  always  was,  to  battle  back  the  hordes  of  Chinese  whose 
presence  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  best  interests  of 
our  American  commonwealth.  California,  gratefully  looking 
to  him  for  all  he  has  done  for  her,  now  pays  in  sorrow  the  trib 
ute  of  love  to  this  great  American,  whose  name  in  future  ages 
will  add  luster  to  the  pages  of  American  history,  and  rank  with 
the  names  of  Washington,  Webster,  Clay,  and  Lincoln. 

Aside  from  the  regard  in  which  California  held  him,  he  pos 
sessed  a  characteristic,  manifested  in  all  his  public  life,  that 
especially  endeared  him  to  the  American  people:  for  in  all  he 
ever  did  or  said  James  G.  Elaine  was  progressively  an  Ameri 
can.  He  believed  this  nation  was  the  grandest  and  greatest 
nation;  that  our  people  are  patriotic  and  intelligent;  that  our 
nation  is  first  in  the  race  of  civilization.  Believing  all  this  at 
all  times,  it  was  his  doctrine,  from  which  he  never  departed, 
that  this  Government  should  not  abandon  any  right  in  the  face 
of  any  foreign  Government  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  His  name 
became  the  watchword  on  this  principle,  and  he  became  the 
enthusiastic  champion  of  all  that  is  loved  by  American  hearts. 
We  are  to  be  congratulated,  as  Americans,  that  there  are  times,  in 
the  face  of  a  national  sorrow,  when  we  can  forget  party  passion 
and  prejudice,  when  we  can  rise  above  the  commonplace  in  life, 
and,  forgetting  the  past,  clasp  hands  over  the  funeral  bier  of  a 
great  American,  to  feel  in  common  the  pang  of  sorrow  in  our 
hearts.  Sorrowfully,  with  tear-stained  eyes,  a  nation  to-day 
mourns  the  loss  of  James  G.  Elaine,  and  the  Senate  of  Califor 
nia,  desiring  to  express  the  sorrow  we  feel,  is  asked  to  adopt 
the  resolutions  by  a  rising  vote. 


Senator  GOUCHER,  who  generally  leads  the  Demo 
crats  in  the  Senate,  arose  and  seconded  Senator 
McGowAN's  motion.  He  said  he  desired  to  do  so 
as  an  American.  In  paying  a  tribute  to  so  great  an 
American  as  Elaine,  politics  are  forgotten.  Senator 
GOUCHER  eulogized  the  dead  statesman  in  a  few 
well  chosen  remarks. 

Senator  BURKE,  another  Democrat,  also  paid  trib 
ute  to  the  departed  diplomate. 

President  REDDICK  then  put  the  motion,  and  the 
entire  Senate  rose  silently. 

In  the  Assembly  Chamber,  on  the  same  day,  the 
following  resolutions,  proposed  by  Mr.  KAHN,  were 
unanimously  adopted  by  a  rising  vote: 

WHEREAS,  We  have  learned  with  profound  sorrow  that  the 
great  statesman  and  illustrious  American,  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine, 
has  this  morning  departed  this  life;  and  whereas,  in  his  life  and 
public  career  we  recognize  a  patriotic  devotion  to  our  country, 
and  a  continued  effort  for  her  supremacy  and  the  advancement 
of  her  interests;  and  whereas,  in  the  offices  of  the  nation  that 
he  filled  with  such  distinguished  honor  and  eminent  ability  he 
proved  himself  a  statesman  of  the  highest  order;  and  whereas, 
he  ever  has  been  the  firm  and  constant  friend  of  California  and 
the  champion  of  the  rights  of  her  citizens;  be  it  therefore 

Resolved,  That  we  join  the  nation  in  sympathy  and  sorrow 
over  the  loss  of  her  illustrious  son;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  we  do  now  adjourn  out  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  the  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  immediately 
telegraphed  to  his  bereaved  family  at  Washington,  to  whom  we 
tender  our  sincere  and  heartfelt  sympathy. 


Previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  above  resolutions, 
Mr.  DODGE  offered  the  following  concurrent  reso 
lution,  which  was  carried: 

Resolved  by  the  Assembly,  the  Senate  concurring,  That  a 
special  time  be  set  apart  for  a  memorial  address,  to  be  delivered 
in  joint  session  of  the  Senate  and  Assembly,  in  honor  of  the 
memory,  life,  and  services  of  the  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine,  and 
that  a  committee  of  six,  three  to  be  appointed  by  the  President 
of  the  Senate  and  three  by  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  be 
appointed  to  select  the  time  of  and  speaker  for  such  occasion. 

The  Senate  concurred  in  the  resolution,  and  Sen 
ators  MAKER,  FLINT,  and  GESFORD  were  appointed 
by  the  President  of  the  Senate,  and  Assemblymen 
FINLAYSON,  LYNCH,  and  BUCKLEY  were  appointed 
by  the  Speaker  of  the  Assembly,  as  the  Joint  Com 
mittee  of  Arrangements. 

The  Joint  Committee  fixed  upon  February  22, 
1893  (Washington's  Birthday),  at  ten  o'clock  and 
thirty  minutes  A.  M.,  in  the  Assembly  Chamber, 
as  the  time  and  place  for  holding  the  memorial 
services. 

The  Chamber,  on  the  day  set  apart,  was  appropri 
ately  draped. 

At  the  appointed  time,  the  Senators,  Assembly 
men,  and  State  officers  entered  the  Assembly 
Chamber  in  a  body,  the  orchestra  playing  Chopin's 
funeral  march. 

Hon.  R.  B.  CARPENTER,  President  pro  tern,  of  the 
Senate,  presided. 


The  Joint  Convention  was  called  to  order,  and 
trie  following  exercises  were  had: 

i.  Reading  and  adoption  of  memorial  resolutions, 
as  reported  by  the  Joint  Committee: 

WHEREAS,  The  people  of  California  have  heard  with  pro 
found  regret  the  announcement  of  the  death  of  that  illustrious 
American  citizen,  the  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine;  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  Legislature  of  this  com 
monwealth,  in  joint  convention  assembled,  do  express  their 
sense  of  the  national  loss  sustained  and  their  estimate  of  the 
private  character  and  public  service  of  the  peerless  statesman 
in  this  tribute  to  his  memory.  James  G.  Elaine  was  the  ideal 
American  statesman.  His  mental  grasp  of  public  questions 
was  unequaled,  and  his  sympathies,  like  his  patriotism,  were 
ever  broad  and  responsive.  In  thirty-seven  years  of  almost 
continuous  public  life,  embracing,  in  its  measure,  the  duties  of 
a  legislator  in  the  State  of  Maine,  service  in  both  houses  of 
Congress,  and  positions  in  the  Cabinet  of  the  United  States, 
his  consistent  and  able  support  of  every  leading  proposition, 
tending  to  the  advancement  of  this  country  to  the  highest 
position  among  the  renowned  nations  of  the  world,  won  for 
him  a  recognition  reserved  only  for  the  greatest  of  men.  Dili 
gent  study,  ample  resources  of  intellect,  and,  above  all,  an  alert 
sense  of  patriotism,  enabled  him  to  comprehend,  long  before 
the  clay  was  removed  from  the  eyes  of  other  statesmen,  that 
unrestricted  immigration  from  Asia  to  this  land  would  inevit 
ably  degrade  American  labor  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  with 
the  ready  courage  of  his  conviction,  he  fought  in  the  minority 
for  the  industrial  supremacy  of  the  Caucasian  race.  His  superb 
service,  rendered  in  that  recent  struggle  for  human  civilization, 
will  ever  be  remembered  by  a  grateful  people  in  California. 
Voicing  the  sentiments  of  the  people  of  California,  we  express 
our  profound  regret  over  the  loss  of  this  illustrious  American 


statesman,  and  express  the  hope  that  his  example  of  fidelity  to 
free  institutions  will  speak  to  future  generations. 

To  the  family  of  the  lamented  statesman,  we  tender  sincere 
sympathy  in  their  bereavement,  and  as  an  expression  of  our 
feeling,  it  is  directed  that  a  copy  of  the  memorial  be  transmitted 
to  Mrs.  Elaine. 

2.  "Not    Dead,    but   Sleepeth"    (While).      Bass 
solo,  by  W.  H.  KINROSS;   male  chorus  of  eighteen 
members    from    the    Sacramento    Choral    Society, 
accompanied  by  the  Orchestra. 

3.  Invocation.     By  Rabbi  J.  LEONARD  LEVY,  of 
the  congregation  B'nai  Israel,  of  Sacramento. 

4.  "Traumerei"  (Schumann).      By  the  Orchestra. 

5.  Poem.     By  RUTH  E.  NEWLAND,  M.D. 

6.  "Sleep  On,  Beloved"  (Bliss).    By  the  Chorus, 
unaccompanied. 

7.  Address.      By   Senator   G.    G.    GOUCHER,    of 
Fresno  County. 

8.  "Rest,  Spirit,  Rest"  (White).    By  the  Chorus 
and  Orchestra. 

9.  Benediction.     By  Rabbi  J.  LEONARD  LEVY. 
10.  "Solitude"  (Czibulka).     By  the  Orchestra. 


INVOCATION. 


By  Rabbi  J.  LEONARD  LEVY,  of  the  Congregation  B'nai  Israel,  of 
Sacramento. 


Almighty  God  and  Father !  Thou  art  the  first,  and 
Thou  art  the  last,  and  besides  Thee  there  is  no  God. 
Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes,  or  bid  our  thoughts 
take  flight,  there  art  Thou;  here  in  Thy  majesty, 
there  in  Thy  power,  everywhere  in  Thy  love. 
Whether  we  gaze  adoringly  on  the  heavens,  fretted 
with  golden  fire,  or  on  the  tiny  blade  of  grass, 
seeking  the  sun's  rays  and  the  refreshing  breezes ; 
whether  we  stand  amazed  by  the  vast  ocean,  when 
its  angry  waves  are  lashed  into  a  fury  by  the  tem 
pest,  or  by  the  purling  brook,  on  whose  bosom  plays 
the  dainty  ripple;  whether  we  listen  overawed  to 
the  far-resounding  peal  of  the  thunder,  or  to  the 
gentle  rustling  of  the  leaves  when  the  southern 
zephyr  "makes  the  trees  clap  their  hands;"  whether 
we  contemplate  the  forest  giant,  adorned  with  a 
crown  of  foliage,  or  the  tiny  petal  of  the  rose, 
begemmed  with  the  glistening  dewdrop;  or  whether 
we  feel  Thy  presence  in  public  and  private  joys  and 


sorrows,  we  are  always  impressed  that  Thou  alone 
art  God ;  that  Thou  art  forever  the  same ;  that  Thy 
years  end  not;  that  with  Thee,  majesty,  power,  and 
love  are  eternal. 

Contrasting  these,  Thy  infinite  qualities,  with  the 
transient  character  of  man's  days  on  earth,  we  are 
led  to  ask:  "Lord,  what  is  man  that  Thou  art  mind 
ful  of  him,  the  Son  of  Man  that  Thou  takest  heed 
of  him?  "  On  the  side  of  his  physical  nature  he  is 
like  the  beasts  that  perish;  but  on  the  side  of  his 
spiritual  nature,  since  he  partakes  of  Thy  divine 
essence,  he  is  little  less  than  the  angel,  endowed  with 
aspirations  and  longings,  yearnings  and  desires,  that 
indicate  that  he  is  not  wholly  of  this  earth. 

Lord  God,  we  invoke  Thy  help  that  these  crav 
ings  be  rightly  directed.  We  pray  that  more  and 
more  our  natures  be  awakened  to  the  force  of  the 
reasonable  hope  of  that  life  when,  divested  of  our 
earthly  bodies,  we  shall  awaken  in  Thy  presence, 
perhaps  to  see  the  deeds  done  in  our  days  of  nature 
in  their  right  light,  perhaps  to  analyze  the  motives 
with  which  we  performed  them. 

We  recognize  that  there  is  also  an  immortality 
on  earth  for  Thy  children,  O  God.  We  feel  that  it 
largely  depends  on  man  himself  whether  his  name 
be  inscribed  on  shifting  sand  or  on  imperishable 
marble;  that  it  depends  on  us  alone,  and  upon  the 
right  use  made  of  our  faculties  and  the  means  at  our 
disposal,  whether  when  we  lie  in  the  silent  grave, 


when  the  tombstone  has  crumbled  into  dust  as  our 
bodies,  and  the  grass  thereabouts  has  withered,  and 
the  banks  of  flowers  faded — whether  our  names  be 
forgotten  on  the  tongues  of  men;  whether,  like 
balloons  with  which  children  play,  death  makes  a 
puncture  in  us  and,  falling  into  nothingness,  we  be 
entirely  gone  forever;  or  whether  we  shall  have 
gotten  for  ourselves  a  name  which  death  cannot 
touch,  which  age  cannot  impair,  wrhich  clouds  cannot 
conceal  nor  storms  blight. 

Help  us,  O  God,  to  strive  for  this  immortality  on 
earth,  even  as  we  desire  eternal  life  with  Thee.  Send 
us  Thy  light  and  Thy  truth,  and  may  they  restrain 
our  selfish  passions  and  inspire  us  with  generous 
sentiments.  Teach  us  to  feel  that  the  elixir  of 
eternal  life  is  a  specific  composed  of  benevolence, 
sincerity,  and  unselfishness,  to  be  used  not  only 
towards  those  of  our  own  creed,  race,  and  position, 
but  towards  all  men,  for  we  are  all  Thy  children. 

We  thank  Thee  for  this  hope  within  our  breasts, 
and  for  the  possibility  of  its  fulfillment.  We  thank 
Thee  for  the  many  examples  which  Thou  hast  fur 
nished  us  in  the  form  of  illustrious  men  and  women, 
by  contemplating  and  imitating  wrhom  we  feel  that 
Thou  wilt  suffer  our  hopes  to  be  realized. 

It  was  because  in  our  judgment  our  departed 
brother,  in  honor  of  whose  memory  we  are  here 
assembled  to-day,  was  graced  with  noble  qualities 
that  we  admired  him — that  we  praised  him  living 


71525 


and  treasure  his  memory  dead.  Yet  we  know,  O 
God,  that  Thou  dost  expect  more,  if  this  demonstra 
tion  of  affection  is  to  be  more  than  a  sterile  tribute. 
We  know  that  Thou  wouldst  have  us  become  in 
spired  with  his  devotion,  and  we  therefore  beseech 
Thee  to  aid  us  to  love  what  he  loved,  to  struggle 
and  fight  for  what  he  defended,  to  seek  and  strive 
for  this  great  nation,  to  set  America  above  our  chief 
joy.  As  he  was  in  all  things  actuated  by  a  pure 
love  of  our  country,  as  he  was  inspired  with  a  deep 
and  earnest  longing  to  see  her  traditions  honored, 
her  institutions  supported,  and  her  people  united, 
so,  O  God,  may  we  be  moved  by  like  loyalty,  integ 
rity,  and  patriotism.  Into  Thy  safe  keeping  we 
commit  his  spirit,  in  the  full  and  certain  hope  that 
his  righteousness  will  bring  an  exceeding  great 
reward. 

Thou  who  healest  the  broken-hearted  and  bindest 
up  their  wounds,  send  Thy  heavenly  comfort  to  those 
who  mourn.  Be  a  father  to  the  orphan,  and  a  pro 
tector  to  the  widow,  from  the  garden  of  whose  exist 
ence  the  fairest  tree  has  been  plucked.  Fill  the 
hearts  of  all  mourners  with  love  and  reverence  of 
Thee  to  serve  Thee  with  a  perfect  heart,  so  that 
when  it  shall  please  Thee  to  call  them  unto  Thee 
their  end  shall  be  peace. 

We  ask  Thy  blessing  on  all  assembled  here  to-day. 
They  are  all  Thy  children,  and  for  all  we  ask  Thy 
fatherly  protection  and  benediction. 


And  bless  our  own  land.  May  the  hopes  of  all 
her  founders  and  servants  be  realized.  May  her 
citizens  recognize  that  national  prosperity  without 
moral  nobility  is  as  a  gem  in  the  forehead  of  a 
skull;  that  righteousness  alone  exalts  a  nation. 
May  liberty  continue  to  be  our  presiding  genius; 
not  liberty  to  do  wrong  unpunished,  but  liberty  to 
listen  to  the  voice  of  conscience ;  liberty  to  choose 
Thee,  O  God,  for  our  master;  liberty  to  excel  in 
truth,  purity,  honor,  integrity,  virtue,  duty.  May 
America  ever  be  the  land  of  the  brave  and  the 
home  of  the  free.  May  this  great  fabric  never  fall. 
Cleanse  all  the  administrations  of  national  affairs. 
May  those  in  office  be  upright,  hating  deceit.  May 
legislators  unselfishly  and  patriotically  serve  their 
country,  and  not  their  own  ends.  Take  under  Thy 
protection  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
those  dear  to  him,  and  all  who  administer  the  public 
affairs  of  this  -vast  commonwealth,  the  Governor, 
and  officers  of  this  State  and  city,  that  through 
them  order  may  be  preserved,  and  peace,  right,  and 
liberty  be  fostered.  Lord,  hasten  the  day  of  blessed 
promise,  when  men  shall  truly  regard  each  other  as 
brothers ;  when  hand  shall  meet  hand  in  friendship, 
and  heart  speak  to  heart  in  love ;  when  swords  shall 
be  beaten  into  plowshares,  and  spears  into  pruning- 
hooks;  when  there  shall  be  learned  no  more  war; 
when  shadows  of  ignorance,  and  superstition,  and 
hatred  shall  have  fled,  and  the  bright  light  of 


knowledge,  religion,  and  love  shall  illuminate  men's 
minds ;  when  all  shall  acknowledge  Thee  as  the  one 
common  God  and  Father,  Thou  who  art  one,  and 
Thy  name  the  One  and  Eternal  God!  Amen. 


16 


POEM. 

By  RUTH  E.  NKWI.AND,  M.D. 


FATE. 

The  Ladder  of  Life  found  a  resting  place 

Against  the  Ship  of  State; 
At  the  foot  of  the  ladder  stood  a  tiny  child 

Awaiting  the  Angel  of  Fate. 
His  little  hand  had  taken  hold 

Of  the  first  round  of  the  Ladder  of  Life, 
To  climb  to  the  top  with  steps  so  bold 

Midst  greed,  and  gain,  and  strife. 
The  years  went  by,  and  a  sturdy  boy 

Had  climbed  one  third  of  the  way; 
His  eyes  were  shining  with  peaceful  joy, 

His  lips  said,  "The  honors  will  pay." 
The  years  rolled  on,  'twas  a  manly  form 

That  had  gained  a  round  or  two; 
He  had  battled  with  life  through  every  storm, 

With  every  honor  in  view. 
He  had  gained  the  deck  of  the  Ship  of  State, 

His  hand  turned  the  wheel  to  steer 
The  ship  from  the  rocks  of  destiny's  fate, 

But  his  eyes  were  honest  and  clear. 
17 


He  saw  in  the  future  his  country's  fame 

Among  the  nations  of  earth; 
He  saw  among  these  a  statesman's  name, 

And  fate  had  given  it  birth. 
He  started  again  the  ladder  to  climb 

With  hand  firm,  honest,  and  strong; 
And  said,  "The  last  round,  I  will  gain  it  in  time, 

And  mount  it  midst  paeans  of  song 
From  my  countrymen's  lips;  they'll  never  forget 

The  work  I've  been  trying  to  do; 
And  the  Sun  of  my  Life  will  never  set 

Till  I've  carried  my  life's  work  through." 
At  the  foot  of  the  ladder  stood  the  Angel  of  Fate, 

And  she  said,  "  It  can  never  be; 
The  last  round  of  the  ladder  comes  too  late 

To  thy  hand,  my  charge,  for  thee. 
The  one  for  thy  hand  is  not  for  this  earth — 

It  is  not  of  the  Ladder  of  Time; 
It  will  be  touched  in  glory  with  Eternity's  birth 

When  the  Celestial  Hills  you  climb." 
'Twas  a  sad  old  man  that  heard  those  words, 

For  avarice,  and  greed,  and  gain 
Had  kept  his  hand  from  gaining  that  round — 

This  is  the  "  Life  of  James  G.  Elaine." 

The  Last  Round  of  the  Ladder. 

Then  the  Angel  of  Fate  winged  her  flight  to  Heaven, 

And  stood  at  the  Golden  Gate 
To  open  it  wide  to  a  soul  forgiven 

Of  sin;  and  there  to  await 
The  coming  of  him  who  her  charge  had  been 

Since  a  babe  in  his  cradle  had  lain. 
The  question  was  asked,  "Who  will  be  seen 

When  he  enters?"     "It  is  James  G.  Elaine." 

18 


I  wish  to  be  there  to  welcome .  him  home, 

To  give  him  his  just  and  due; 
To  our  home  in  bliss  we  wish  him  to  come, 

For  he  has  been  good  and  true. 
The  question  was  asked,  "  While  living  on  earth 

Can  you  tell  the  work  he  has  done?" 
"Oh,  yes,  for  he  was  given  the  name  at  his  birth — 

The  name  of  America's  Son." 
He  has  never  failed  in  his  upward  flight 

From  the  first  round  of  the  Ladder  of  Life; 
To  battle  for  truth,  to  battle  for  right, 

He  has  always  been  first  in  the  strife. 
His  life  was  a  gem  of  clear  whiteness, 

He  was  gentle,  and  kind,  and  true; 
His  life  has  been  lived  with  steel  brightness 

In  all  he's  been  trying  to  do. 
I  saw  him  first  as  a  gentle  child 

At  the  foot  of  the  Ladder  of  Life; 
I  have  sheltered  him  midst  tempests  wild 

Of  greed,  and  gain,  and  strife; 
I  have  been  by  his  side  as  he  touched  each  round, 

In  climbing  the  Ladder  of  Fame; 
I  have  kissed  his  brow  when  I  heard  the  sound 

Of  each  groan  of  anguish  and  shame. 
When  the  roar  of  the  cannon,  of  shot  and  shell, 

Told  of  conflict,  of  war,  and  of  strife, 
The  heart  of  the  statesman  in  his  bosom  did  swell. 

Then  his  country  had  need  that  his  life 
Should  be  spent  in  the  work  of  political  toil. 

With  tongue,  pen,  and  soul  in  the  van, 
He  ne'er  failed  in  duty,  he  ne'er  did  embroil, 

But  was  ever  the  peace-making  man. 
I  have  stood  by  his  side  when  each  feather  in  wing 

Seemed  to  quiver  with  anguish  and  sorrow; 
I  have  turned  aside  malice,  and  have  taken  the  sting, 

And  have  whispered,  ujust  wait  till  the  morrow." 
19 


Of  closing  his  life,  to  see  him  walk  in 

At  the  entrance  when  the  gates  open  wide, 
When  those  glorious  forms  with  no  taint  of  sin 

Walk  in  glory  close  by  his  side. 
That  heavenly  throng  of  angels  so  bright 

Will  each  stand  with  close-folded  wings — 
Will  be  mute  with  surprise  in  the  realms  of  light, 

And  the  seraphs  will  all  cease  to  sing, 
For  a  soul  has  come  from  the  "Sorrowful  Star," 

Has  come  home  to  the  bosom  of  God. 
They  have  heard  of  that  life  midst  its  tumult  and  war. 

And  the  straight  path  of  duty  he  trod; 
Then  we'll  give  him  a  welcome,  we  will  open  the  gate, 

Each  harp  will  be  ready  and  sweet — 
For  the  one  to  precede  him  is  the  Angel  of  Fate, 

With  laurels  to  lay  at  his  feet. 
But  one  of  them  all  to  his  touch  will  be  given, 

It  seems  with  earth's  memories  rife; 
It  has  come  to  his  hand  midst  the  glories  of  heaven, 

It's  the  "Last  Round  of  the  Ladder  of  Life." 


ADDRESS. 

By  Senator  G.  G.  GOUCHER,  of  Fresno  County. 


MR.  PRESIDENT  AND  FELLOW  COUNTRYMEN:  We 
are  gathered  here  to  lay  upon  the  grave  of  James  G. 
Elaine  a  fresh  garland  of  glory,  plucked  from  the 
warm  hearts  of  seventy  million  Americans. 

In  tendering  this  tribute  to  the  illustrious  dead, 
we  have  honored  ourselves  in  selecting  a  day  that 
commemorates  him  who  "was  first  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 
The  stricken  procession  of  unsheltered  heads,  bowed 
forms,  and  tear-stained  faces  of  other  Americans  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  Maine,  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
has  not  passed  unobserved  by  the  great-hearted  host 
who  populate  the  Golden  State.  Divested  of  par 
tisan  jealousy,  we  have  assembled  at  the  bier  of 
a  great  statesman,  and  from  this  solemn  presence 
and  consecrated  spot  we  send  across  the  rivers,  the 
mountains,  and  the  valleys,  to  the  confines  of  the 
roaring  Atlantic,  assurances  of  our  sympathy  and 
announcement  of  our  sadness. 


Over  our  own  hearts  the  sable,  hovering  pinions  of 
sorrow  have  been  spread,  and  their  black  shadows 
have  eclipsed  the  California  sunshine  in  our  breasts. 
We  discover  in  the  conclusion  of  such  a  sacred 
message  to  our  Eastern  brethren  the  silent  sum 
mons  to  return  our  minds  to  this  occasion  and  this 
place.  Surprising,  yet  pleasing,  is  the  discovery 
that  when  our  minds  concentrate  again  upon  this 
occasion  and  its  cause,  the  desolating  touch  of  sad 
ness  and  sorrow  begins  to  flee  under  the  pursuit 
of  a  strange  enjoyment.  This  feeling  cannot  be 
analyzed  except  through  the  reenforcement  which 
comparison  may  afford. 

None  can  stand  on  the  seashore  and  watch  the 
distant  incoming  waves,  their  dancing  crests  spark 
ling  in  the  jewels  that  seem  kisses  stamped  there  by 
the  tender  and  softened  light  of  the  stars,  without 
feeling  happiness  in  the  thought  that  such  beauty 
will  come  rolling  and  smiling  shoreward  forever. 

None  can  gaze  upon  the  hillsides  through  the 
sweetened  air  of  springtime  and  see  the  manifold 
bloom  that  a  great  God  has  unfolded,  like  a  gorge 
ous  carpet,  without  the  entrancing  reflection  that 
such  vision  is  to  be  repeated  through  countless 
centuries. 

None  can  look  upward  to  the  sublime  heavens 
and  feast  his  soul  upon  the  distant  diamonds,  that 
seem  like  angels'  eyes,  without  rejoicing  in  the 
knowledge  that  this  shining  coronet  belongs  to  all 
time  and  all  generations. 


Inspired  by  these  feelings  that  captivate  the  heart 
and  command  the  intellect,  it  is  appropriate  to  seek 
their  relatives  in  history. 

Whenever  peril,  from  either  within  or  without, 
has  appeared  against  our  country,  the  emergency 
has  always  sent  out  in  freedom's  vanguard  the 
man  or  the  men  for  the  hour.  We  have  had  our 
Warren  and  our  Washington;  we  have  had  our 
Lawrence  and  our  Sumter;  we  have  had  our  Pat 
rick  Henry  and  our  Harry  Lee;  we  have  had  our 
Winfield  Scott  and  our  Farragut;  we  have  had 
our  Grant,  our  Sherman,  and  our  Sheridan;  and 
also  our  Webster,  our  Clay,  and  our  Calhoun. 

Yet,  to  no  heart  pulsating  on  our  soil  has  ever 
come  inconsolable  sorrow  that  these  men  lived,  or 
that,  in  the  fullness  of  their  years  and  their  honors, 
they  bowed  to  heaven's  decree,  and  died. 

In  her  great  and  matchless  names  we  may  see  the 
supreme  safety  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  the 
unbroken  ramparts  that  stand  eternal  guard  around 
the  union  of  the  States. 

We  may  then  appropriately  feel  that,  in  tendering 
our  tribute  to  the  great  dead,  we  are  but  lifting  their 
names  to  an  immortal  station  in  the  cloudless  sky 
of  our  nation's  love. 

We  may  upon  such  occasion  take  selfish  payment 
for  our  own  action,  in  the  reward  for  which  reason 
furnishes  security  that  the  uncounted  generations 
yet  hidden  behind  the  future's  mystic  curtains  will 


ever  turn  their  patriot  eyes  upon  the  name  we  are 
humbly  striving  to  distinguish  to-day. 

No  nation  can  sustain  itself  without  some  source 
of  patriotism  which  inspires  the  young  people  of 
the  land. 

When  the  true  American  statesman,  in  the  even 
ing  of  his  impaired  strength,  turns  his  failing  eyes 
toward  the  temple  of  American  liberty,  and  feels 
the  stronger  beating  of  his  dying  heart,  his  patriotic 
hope  will  always  gather  about  it  the  raiment  which 
falls  as  gently  as  a  snowflake  and  as  welcome  as  a 
sunbeam  from  the  shining  names  of  his  country's 
fallen  and  buried  guides. 

Without  the  name  and  record  of  Washington  how 
could  we  teach  our  boys  the  inspiring  lesson  which 
has  sent  our  nag  like  the  rainbow  of  promise  before 
all  liberty-loving  people  on  earth? 

Without  Captain  Lawrence  how  could  we  explain 
to  our  growing  sons  the  story  that  no  flag  can  fall 
which  is  supported  by  salutation  coming  through 
the  frosts  of  death  as  they  seek  to  seal  and  lock 
the  lips? 

Without  Marion  how  could  we  hope  that  young 
American  eyes  would  open  like  full  moons  as  their 
memory  lifts  the  great  story  of  his  sacrifices  into  a 
monument  forever  dedicated  to  the  cause  of  free 
dom? 

Without  Webster  and  Clay,  Calhoun  and  Corwin, 
Lincoln  and  Sumner,  Benton  and  Douglas,  where 
will  wre  go  to  arouse  the  sleeping  eloquence  of  the 


romping  and  smiling  children,  now  our  thoughtless 
heirs,  yet  soon  to  be  our  dignified  successors? 

And  to-day  let  us  find  enjoyment  in  the  knowledge 
that  James  Gillespie  Elaine  has  risen  above  death 
to  the  sublime  station  from  whence  his  brilliant 
qualities  and  his  untiring  devotion  to  the  American 
Union  will  always  send  a  blessing  down  to  electrify 
the  young  American,  and  to  persuade  him  to  noble 
action. 

To  the  constellation  of  great  Americans  we  must 
now  consent  to  send  its  newest,  if  not,  indeed,  its 
best  and  brightest  jewel.  There  let  that  name  live, 
shedding  the  stimulating  rays  of  its  own  deserving 
upon  the  growing  millions  which  are  to  lead  this 
nation  upward  and  onward  to  undying  fame. 

Some  time  in  tamer  hours  it  may  be  proper  to 
recall  the  fact  that  Mr.  Elaine  was  born  in  West 
Erownsville,  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  on 
January  31,  1830.  Certainly  it  is  not  inappropriate 
to  say  that  the  Irish  people,  whose  blood  and  brawn 
have  been  brave  and  free  on  every  field  that  has 
heard  the  voice  of  freedom  for  a  thousand  years, 
furnished  Mr.  Elaine  his  honored  parentage.  But 
when  he  was  born  his  country  was  the  world,  and 
his  relatives  were  the  decent  inhabitants  of  all 
civilized  countries. 

Mr.  Elaine's  education  was  like  his  superb  am 
bition.  It  was  broad,  expansive,  and  completely 
American. 

25 


What  satisfied  so  many  minds  was  but  the  bud 
ding  of  hope  in  his.  His  fine  literary  inclination  led 
him  to  journalism,  and  journalism  led  him  to  his 
long-loved  State  of  Maine.  His  remarkable  talent 
for  successful  discussion  upon  great  national  prob 
lems  enticed  him  into  the  noisy  and  active  battle 
of  politics,  and  there  he  soon  became  the  leading 
knight,  whose  banner  always  measured  the  course 
of  march,  and  whose  clarion  voice  always  sounded 
reviving  music  to  the  sinking  hopes  of  his  followers. 
Naturally  he  was  sent  to  Congress,  and  there  he 
found  a  wider  field  for  his  unrivaled  powers,  and,  as 
easily  as  he  had  conquered  in  smaller  stations,  he 
won  his  triumphs  in  the  new  and  greater. 

The  marked  features  of  his  Congressional  career 
are  in  the  brilliant  and  dashing  method  of  winning 
victory  from  apparently  hopeless  conditions.  He 
was  the  triumphant  Alexander  of  political  cam 
paigns,  the  unequaled  Bonaparte  of  debate;  yet  he 
was  ever  the  hero  of  mercy  to  a  fallen  cause  or  a 
beaten  antagonist. 

Some  there  are  who  embrace  the  very  excess  of 
celebration  in  the  hour  of  triumph,  but  Elaine  was 
too  tender  of  the  feelings  of  those  whom  his  vic 
tories  had  prostrated  to  ever  smile  in  their  presence 
at  his  own  successes.  Thus  it  was  an  open  way  for 
him  to  stand  a  welcome  visitor  at  the  hearths  of 
his  adversaries. 

Beyond  the  confines  of  our  beloved  country  his 


name  became  a  symbol  of  fear  to  those  who  meant 
us  harm.  In  foreign  countries  he  excited  mingled 
surprise  and  admiration  in  the  ranks  of  those  trained 
and  veteran  diplomates  whose  opinions  are  worthy  of 
quotation.  To  Gladstone  and  Salisbury  at  London, 
to  Bismarck  and  Caprivi  at  Berlin,  to  Gortchakoff 
at  St.  Petersburg,  and  to  Andrassy  at  Vienna,  he 
introduced  the  fresh  and  lustrous  vigor  of  diplo 
macy,  which  came  with  a  glittering  shield  and 
polished  helmet  from  the  West. 

All  Americans  have  been  proud  to  concede  that 
Blaine  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  lovers  of  Amer 
ica  that  any  generation  produced.  But  some  have 
doubted  whether  his  great  heart  was  endowed  with 
that  sentiment  and  poesy  which  go  out  like  the 
bubbling  waters  of  a  crystal  spring  to  our  famous 
fellow  countrymen.  An  insight  to  his  heart  in  this 
regard  is  afforded  by  the  beautiful  closing  words 
which  Blaine  uttered  in  memory  of  his  friend,  the 
lamented  Garfield.  I  quote  them  now  because  they 
uncover  the  tender  heart  that  lay  within  the  breast 
of  James  G.  Blaine : 

"Masterful  in  his  mortal  weakness,  he  became 
the  center  of  a  nation's  love,  enshrined  in  the 
prayers  of  a  world.  But  all  the  love  and  all  the 
sympathy  could  not  share  with  him  his  suffering. 
He  trod  the  wine  press  alone.  With  unfaltering 
front  he  faced  death.  With  unfailing  tenderness  he 

took  leave  of  life.     Above  the  demoniac  hiss  of  the 

27 


assassin's  bullet  lie  heard  the  voice  of  God.  With 
simple  resignation  he  bowed  to  the  divine  decree. 
As  the  end  drew  near,  his  early  craving  for  the 
sea  returned.  The  stately  mansion  of  power  had 
been  to  him  the  wearisome  hospital  of  pain,  and 
he  begged  to  be  taken  from  his  prison  walls,  from 
its  oppressive,  stifling  air,  from  its  homelessness  and 
its  hopelessness.  Gently,  silently,  the  love  of  a 
great  people  bore  the  pale  sufferer  to  the  longed-for 
healing  of  the  sea — to  live  or  to  die,  as  God  should 
will,  within  sight  of  its  heaving  billows,  within 
sound  of  its  manifold  voices.  With  wan,  fevered 
face  tenderly  lifted  to  the  cooling  breeze,  he  looked 
out  wistfully  upon  the  ocean's  changing  wonders; 
on  its  fair  sails,  whitening  in  the  morning  light ;  on 
its  restless  waves,  rolling  shoreward,  to  break  and 
die  beneath  the  noonday  sun;  on  the  red  clouds  of 
evening,  arching  low  to  the  horizon;  on  the  serene 
and  shining  pathway  of  the  stars.  Let  us  think 
that  his  dying  eyes  read  a  mystic  meaning  which 
only  the  rapt  and  parting  soul  may  know.  Let  us 
believe  that  in  the  silence  of  the  receding  world  he 
heard  the  great  waves  breaking  on  a  farther  shore, 
and  felt  already  upon  his  wasted  brow  the  breath  of 
the  eternal  morning." 

In  conclusion,  let  us  remember  that  Elaine's  great 
soul,  like  Garfield's,  has  floated  above  into  the 
eternal  rewards  that  fall  upon  good  men's  heads,  in 

that  union  which  is  around  the  throne  of  God. 

28 


Like  Garfield,  he  has  left  the  pains  of  earth  for  a 
glorious  destiny.  Like  the  name  of  Garfield,  his 
name  has  ascended  to  the  zenith  of  American  fame, 
and  there  it  will  shine  forever,  inspiring  the  flower 
of  American  manhood  to  hasten  to  the  front  on  that 
broad  and  splendid  highway  which  leads  to  the  best 
permanent  progress  for  the  American  Union. 


BENEDICTION 

By  Rabbi  J.  LEONARD  LEVY. 


May  the  spirit  of  God  be  with  you  all.  May  the 
services  of  to-day  leave  with  you  an  abiding  influ 
ence.  May  the  example  of  our  heroic  and  patriotic 
brother  arouse  within  you  a  purer  and  more  elevated 
love  of  our  native  land.  May  God  bless  you  and 
keep  you.  May  God  cause  His  face  to  shine  upon 
you  and  be  gracious  unto  you.  May  God  cause  His 
face  to  shine  upon  you  and  give  you  peace.  Amen ! 


BtLUW 


BOOKS  REQUESTED   BY  ANOTHER   BORROWER 
ARE  SUBJECT  TO  RECALL  AFTER  ONE  WEEK. 
RENEWED   BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO 
IMMEDIATE   RECALL 


LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

D4613   (12/76) 


E     California,  Legislature, 

664     in  memory  of  ^aroos  G.  Btaine.  Memorial  ser- 
B6    vices  of  the  California  Legislature  (thirtieth 
C3    session)   Sacramento,  Calif.  [State  printing 
office]  1893. 
30  p.  25cm. 

1  1.  Blaine.  James  Gillespie,  1830-1893. 

j  I.  Blaine,  James  Gillespie,  1830-1893. 
/II.  Title. 


